Syrian-Kurdish woman wins Kurt Schork Awards
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, the Syrian-Kurdish woman, Khabat Abbas, was honored to be the winner of the Kurt Schork News Fixer Award for 2021, for her long work, alongside journalists, in major news agencies.
Now in their 20th year, the Kurt Schork Awards in International Journalism are named in honour of American freelance journalist Kurt Schork who was killed in Sierra Leone while on assignment for Reuters in 2000.
Through her local knowledge, extensive network of contacts and journalism skills, Abbas secured multiple exclusives for international media which made headlines, including an interview with three British women who had joined the Islamic State.
In exclusive statement to North Press, Abbas said, “I am proud to be the first woman to be honored in this field, and I hope it will be a gesture that encourages women around the world to practice similar professions that are restricted to men only.”
Along with Abbas, the Iranian-American journalist, Jason Motlagh, won the Kurt Schork Freelance Award for his reporting on Afghanistan, and the Brazilian journalist Rafael Soares who won the Local Reporter Award for his investigations into extra-judicial killings involving military and civil police in Rio de Janeiro.